After a three-month suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tanzanian Premier League resumed this weekend with the country’s giants Simba, Yanga and Azam battling for supremacy in the business end of the campaign.

Leaders and defending champions Simba SC kept their hunt for a hat-trick of league titles alive despite being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Ruvu Shooting on the second day of action.

Shiza Kichuya gave the Wekundu wa Msimbazi an early lead, but they couldn’t hold on for long as Fully Maganga levelled the score for Ruvu eight minutes before halftime.

Despite dropping two points, Simba retain a healthy lead in the standings with a 15-point buffer between them and second placed Azam with nine rounds of matches remaining.

The 2014 league winners Azam were 2-0 winners over struggling Mbao at their Azam Complex home turf with goals from Richard Djodi and Shaban Chilunda retaining them at second.

Meanwhile, Yanga kept the push to try and finish second when they won by a slim 1-0 margin against Mwadui, Balama Mapinduzi notching the lone goal on the opening day of the league’s return on Saturday.

MWADUI VS YANGA (2)

Yanga have played a match less than Azam and can bridge the gap with victory on Wednesday against JKT.

To avoid any further spike of the virus, the TFF and the government undertook stringent precautions and health protocols in all the matches.

Fans were asked to seat at least one meter from each other, and everyone had their body temperature taken before accessing the stadium. At the same time, sanitizers and running water was availed at all entry points to ensure high levels of hygiene.

The players as well had their temperatures taken before going into the stadium while substitutes on the bench had to observe strict social distancing guidelines and wore their masks at all times.